BIG Vs small Fish while daytime swording...your theory?

[snooknreds2]

With the recent fish that have been caught during the day not being all BIG BERTHA fish, I am starting to notice that there is a more level field to the daytime fish's size than was originally thought. Granted there are still some big fish being caught daytime!!!!
A while ago we all discussed different theories as to why BIG fish were being caught on the day drop and no smaller fish had been heard of. I am curious as to what people think now that we have seen fish of all sizes get pulled up from the deep during the day. If my memory serves me correctly there was even one fish that was undersized?

So now what do you guys think is the story

[billspilingup]

My theory is the smaller swords' metabolisms drop quicker than the larger swords' metabolisms due to the difference in body size while on the bottom in the cold water. Therefore, the larger fish are able to see and feed for a longer period of time while down deep. The bottom may be carpeted with small fish with only a few large girls mixed in but if the majority of the pups are too cold to feed, then the bigger swords are going to have better odds at being the first to the bait. Also, given their smaller size, the pups are going to have to spend more time higher up in the water column warming up during the daytime which means our rigs are speeding past them going down or up.

I've yet to catch a daytimer though so this is all theory.

[bajakian]

My theory is that they are more concentrated in a smaller amount of the water column during the day and the bigger fish if present are going to win out over the smaller ones when it comes to getting to the food or bait first. There is a pecking order based on size. At night they are more spread out so the little ones which are more prevalent get a better chance to beat the big ones to the bait.

[Disco Lady]

Nice.......post COÑO!!!!!!!!!


DL,

[iriesoul]

I agree with bajakian.... The bigger fish over power the smaller fish on the bottom WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY... When they are not the pups are free to feed. Seems like when the small ones are feeding they are THICK... When the big ones are bitting. Less bites but bigger fish. From what I have seen anyways.. Also wonder if some of the larger fish may have been some sort of resident stock? Possibly a lot of breeders have been killed in the past year in our area compared to the last 5 or 10 years....

[bajakian]

Originally Posted by iriesoul

I agree with bajakian.... The bigger fish over power the smaller fish on the bottom WHEN THEY ARE HUNGRY... When they are not the pups are free to feed. Seems like when the small ones are feeding they are THICK... When the big ones are bitting. Less bites but bigger fish. From what I have seen anyways.. Also wonder if some of the larger fish may have been some sort of resident stock? Possibly a lot of breeders have been killed in the past year in our area compared to the last 5 or 10 years....

I think that the satellite tagging data doesnt support the concept of "residents" fish. Even larger fish caught and tagged during the day seem to move on. More likely the fish move through in waves and sometimes there are more bigger ones. Its a question that you could pose to Arthur at his meeting tonight.

[iriesoul]

I don't think the data they have collected supports anything yet. One fish wen t north one went south. One went to the bahamas. And this little swordy went wee wee wee all the way home!

[weekley rehab]

I have never caught the same sword twice ! not that I eat all of them but we have released undersized fish . Never heard the story of a mate catching the same sword twice.

[iriesoul]

We have resident sail fish why would we not have resident sword fish?

[Disco Lady]

Originally Posted by iriesoul

We have resident sail fish why would we not have resident sword fish?

COÑO!!!!!!!!!

[bajakian]

In the study of Icthyology and Taxonomy, Marlin and Swordfish, while both billfish, are from different fish genus and families. You might as well say that since sailfish are residents, why wouldnt we have resident mahi mahi. That may sound like a silly comparison, but in reality it is very similar to yours.

[iriesoul]

I guess it sounds silly to you that maybe there could be resident sword fish

[Disco Lady]

Hey Steve, I think you should ask that? to man that know it all.
Capt. Richard Stanczyk at Bud n Mary's he should have are answer.


Cheers,
DL,

[tunaman81]

Originally Posted by iriesoul

I don't think the data they have collected supports anything yet. One fish wen t north one went south. One went to the bahamas. And this little swordy went wee wee wee all the way home!

Swordfish are highly migratory and it is very unlikely that they remain in the Florida Straits for any appreciable period of time. Additional tagging studies off South Carolina's Charleston Bump have shown that swordfish are highly migratory at all sizes.

[tunaman81]

Originally Posted by iriesoul

We have resident sail fish why would we not have resident sword fish?

How do you know we have resident sailfish?

[ameristrat]

Sailfish are residents here (in small numbers) because of one simple thing. Food supply. Two things in the winter push sailfish south. Cooling water temperatures and a diminishing food supply which is moving south to remain in favorable water temperatures. Sailfish can be residents here when they find an abundant food supply off of south florida and refuse to leave. All they care about is survival and with comfortable water temperatures and abundant food, what is there to draw them away. There are studies that have argued that magnetic fields drive migration of pelagic fish, however, I think many fish do not care to leave as long as all they need is right here. This is why during years that bait is more abundant, there are more fish year round rather than just in the winter.

Swordfish could certainly be the same. The fact that they are in a gulfstream current moving anywhere from 3 to 6 knots means that they would be residents over a much larger area. There 'resident' area could extend a few hundred miles up and down the florida coast. However, water temperatures vary less than 10 degrees on the surface and less than half of that on the bottom in 1000 + feet annually. Up north water temperatures climb into the 70s and 80s and drop to the 40s-60s. If there is an abundant supply of food and low variability in temperature, there is a high probabilty that some swordfish are not transient, but rather residents who thrive off such a comfortable area of living....

Those are my thoughts, any disagreement? I would be interested to hear other views.

Ameristrat

[bajakian]

Originally Posted by iriesoul

I guess it sounds silly to you that maybe there could be resident sword fish

Steve, I think maybe I didnt make myself clear. I'm not saying that the concept of resident swordfish is a silly one, just that there is no tagging data to support that theory. I posed the question at the Hollywood Hills meeting last night and it was concensus that there is no data from any tagging study that there is a population of swordfish that are residents here. If you wish to ignore or discount that fact that is your perogative.

My prior post was just trying to point out that comparing sailfish ( which most likely also aren't residents) to swordfish behavior was akin to comparing swordfish behavior to mahi. They just aren't that similar a fish despite both having a bill.

Richard

[savanna lynn]

hook up ratio is less with smaller fish

[surfinsteve1]

Being that the day time bite has come to view recently it's going to take awhile to figure them out. I believe that there are just as many small down there as big like other guys are saying, Ladys too. its just that the man eats before the boy.